Baltasar Engonga, the Equatorial Guinean whose explicit sex tapes with multiple women went viral in 2024, has been jailed.
On 7 November 2024, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Engonga was dismissed as Director General of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF) for alleged professional misconduct, coupled with family and social behaviour deemed incompatible with the standards of public office.
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Following his dismissal, he was charged with financial fraud and has remained imprisoned on embezzlement charges, according to Revista Real Equatorial Guinea (RREG), a local media outlet in the country.
In July, this newspaper reported that Mr Engonga risked an 18-year jail term after standing trial for his role in a corruption scheme within the Ministry of Finance.
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The trial, which began on 30 June at the Bioko Norte Provincial Court in Malabo, also implicated several senior officials.
They’re Carmelo Julio Matogo Ndong, Ireneo Mangué Monsuy Afana, Florentina Iganga Inandji, Saturnina Sereijo Esua, Rubén Félix Osa Nzang, Rolando Asumu Ndong Oye, and Juan Manuel Afugu Mbomio.
They were accused of embezzling public funds, misappropriating state resources, and abusing their official positions within the Equatorial Guinean government.
Sentence
According to RREG, the Bioko Provincial Tribunal sentenced Mr Engonga to eight years in prison for embezzlement of public funds and illicit enrichment.
The ruling, delivered on Tuesday, also found five other senior government officials guilty of siphoning off hundreds of thousands of dollars from the coffers of the oil-rich Central African state.
In total, eight senior officials stood trial alongside Mr Engonga; seven were convicted while one was acquitted.
The court established that irregular bank accounts were opened with Mr Engonga as the sole signatory, which he then used for personal gain.
In addition to the prison terms handed to Monsuy Afana, Mr Engonga and Osá Nzang, the tribunal imposed heavy financial penalties, ordering the trio to repay millions into the public treasury.
Monsuy Afana was fined 68,152,470 XAF (approximately N185.2 million), Mr Engonga 125,405,700 XAF (around N340.78 million), and Osá Nzang 51,234,900 XAF (about N139.29 million).
Accomplices
Furthermore, the court sentenced Rolando Asumu, Carmelo Julio, and Frentona Nganga to three years’ imprisonment each as accomplices, in addition to fines ranging from 16 to 31 million XAF.
In the civil proceedings, all three were ordered to return the sums they had unlawfully obtained and failed to justify.
Rolando Asumu was directed to repay 7,177,000 XAF (approximately N19.5 million), Carmelo Julio 5,409,000 XAF (approximately N14.7 million), and Frentona Nganga 10,333,333 XAF (approximately N28.08 million).
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However, the court acquitted Sereijo Esua of all charges, ruling that no evidence established her direct or indirect involvement.
The judges further ordered the release of a luxury vehicle that had been wrongfully seized from one of the suspects, confirming that it bore no link to the offences under trial.
During the hearings, the court established that the defendants misappropriated funds from the public treasury, including contributions from insurance companies.
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